Pittsburgh Steelers safety Damontae Kazee will miss the rest of the regular season after the appeal of his suspension was denied on Wednesday.
James Thrash, appointed to hear the appeal by the NFL and the NFL Players Association, ruled that Kazee would have to miss the last three regular-season games for his hit on Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. on Saturday.
While the NFL’s initial punishment would have banned Kazee from the rest of the regular season and any possible Pittsburgh playoff games, Thrash decided that Kazee could return to action if the Steelers make the postseason.
The league’s sanction took into account both the nature of the hit and the fact that Kazee is a repeat offender, having been fined for illegal hits this season ahead of the latest incident.
Kazee’s hit on Saturday gave Pittman a concussion.
In announcing the initial suspension, NFL vice president of football operations Jon Runyan wrote to Kazee, “With 8:49 remaining in the 2nd quarter, you were involved in a play that the League considers a serious violation of the playing rules. The video of the play shows that you delivered a forcible blow to the head/neck area of Colts’ receiver Michael Pittman Jr., who was in a defenseless posture. You had an unobstructed path to your opponent and the illegal contact could have been avoided. Your actions were flagrant, and as a result, you were disqualified from the game.”
Kazee, 30, also served a three-game suspension in September 2022 for a violation of the NFL’s substance-abuse policy.
Kazee has 16 interceptions, seven forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries in 92 career games (62 starts) with the Atlanta Falcons (2017-20), Dallas Cowboys (2021) and Steelers. This season, he produced two interceptions and two fumble recoveries through 14 games (nine starts).
–Field Level Media